For the second time in three years, the Youngsville Borough offices are moving because of mold.
According to Borough Manager Terry Williams, the Island Park Building currently housing the borough offices has mold in the walls.
Only the office functions of the borough government will be closed; the police and public works departments will operate as usual.
"The borough office will be closed Nov. 25 and 30 so that we can move our business offices from Island Park to the post office building in Youngsville," Williams said on Monday. "We will re-open at the new location on Dec. 1."
"We discovered a serious mold issue in the building," she said. "We have to move because of the mold to prevent some long-term health issues."
There is a noticeable odor in the building and the result of a professional air quality study included a recommendation to not have people in the building for long periods.
Williams said office personnel who spend essentially eight hours every day in the building will move to office space at the post office.
Other borough personnel, including police, public works and the fleet manager, will retain space at the Island Park location. Those employees spend much less time in the office and have opted to stay, Williams said.
The move to three offices at the post office will leave the officials with less space. "We'll be downsizing significantly," Williams said.
And the move will increase the borough's rent payment from nothing - the borough owns the Island Park building - to $425 per month. Utilities are included in the rent agreement.
The move will eliminate the need for two storage pods maintained at Island Park, saving the borough $225 per month.
According to Williams, Council Vice Chairman Doug Peterson has been in negotiations with Youngsville Volunteer Fire Department for use of the fire hall for council meetings.
Williams doesn't expect to have to pay rent at the post office for long.
"We've been working with Jeff Zariczny from Inscale Architects to design a new borough building for us," she said. "It's nearing completion."
Funding for the design phase were included in the 2009 budget.
"Council has seen the designs proposed by Mr. Zariczny and have given their approval to date," she said. "It has been suggested by Council Vice Chairman Doug Peterson that we fast-track this process."
The new building will allow the government to operate more efficiently, Williams said. "The way we are currently operating is inefficient. We are spending money where we shouldn't be. Borough operations are divided into several locations."
The borough offices were moved out of the 1901 borough building in April 2007 due to a mold problem. That building was torn down in February.
The proposed new building will occupy the same land as the old borough building and be about the same size. It will be a single-story structure with space for the borough government, police and public works.
"Hopefully, we'll be in the new building by this time next year," Williams said.
She stressed that council is "not intending to raise taxes to fund this project."
An estimated cost for the building has not been determined, she said. The borough will look at "financing options through local banks and state agencies to look for low-cost loans and grants."
When the government is out of Island Park, the building there will be available again as a community center, once the mold problem has been dealt with.
"Once everyone is in the new locations, we will look at the options for this community center," Williams said. "We will reevaluate the situation at that time."
